


A Failed Parry

by CelestialCelly



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: A very upset Aranea, Artwork at the end, Blood, Episode Ignis, Hurt/Comfort, Impalement, Mutual Pining, Rain, Ravus is very angry, Why do I keep hurting Ignis?, for max feels, minor HighSpecs, so much hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 03:57:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19417996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestialCelly/pseuds/CelestialCelly
Summary: Aranea watched helplessly as Ignis was thrown off balance, his glasses slipping from their correct place, and before they could even clatter to the ground, Ravus had lodged his rapier through the strategist’s stomach and out the other side of his back.She tried so hard to reach him.And she was still too late.





	A Failed Parry

**Author's Note:**

> Before I begin, I wanna give a huge thanks for my best bud for beta reading all of my work thus far. She's the best. This fic was loosely based off of the QTE involving what would happen if Ignis failed to parry Ravus's blade.

Aranea could hardly see anything as the downpour constantly flooded over her eyes, her hearing muffled by the rain and clicking of heeled boots against the broken bricks of the altar. Distantly, she could hear steel clashing with steel and the calls of two men who were no doubt - The owners of the fight. A Tenebraen accent in what sounded like pure rage, and another distinct voice that was however much clearer with determination and… was that remorse she heard?

  
Swiping away the water that blurred her vision, she quickened her pace as she noticed small purple sparks sifting through the air, coming from the scene that she was eager to end. She knew that he wouldn’t be happy to see her - He specifically asked her to stay behind and help the civilians flee the city - But Leviathan have mercy, she couldn’t fight away the sick feeling that something was going to go wrong without her being there to help.

  
Turning around another half-crumbled arch, she could finally see the scene unfolding before her. The Prince of Lucis laid unconscious on the edge of the altar, beside his beloved, whose pale face spoke of death, as well as the blood that stained her once gorgeous white dress.

  
That must have been what was fuelling Ravus's anger, and she couldn’t blame him for it. She’d want to murder everyone in her path if something happened to those she cared about, but thankfully - The list of people she cherished was a _very_ short one; Biggs, Wedge, and somehow; Ignis.

  
She wouldn’t dare let him take one of the few people she trusted with her life. A flash of red lit up the misty air as Aranea summoned her lance, her footfalls even swifter to get the upper hand on her unsuspecting victim.

  
As she drew closer, Aranea saw that the white-haired man and the bespectacled one had their blades locked together. She could tell that Ignis was struggling to hold back Ravus's sword with his smaller daggers, not to mention he burdened a nasty gash on his arm that steadily dribbled blood down his tricep that looked as though it was hurting like hell. Ignis's gaze flashed over the High Commander’s shoulder, towards Aranea - His eyes almost as though _begging_ for help.

  
Ignis's arms began to quiver as his grip on the blades were slick from sweat and rain. All he could do was try and distract Ravus with his sharp tongue until Aranea drew closer.

  
_Oh Gods, she had to be there, now._

  
The blades forcefully separated with a loud clash. Ignis was thrown off balance, his glasses slipping from their correct place, and before they could even clatter to the ground, Ravus had lodged his rapier through the strategist’s stomach and out the other side of his back.

  
_Too late._

  
Aranea would never forget the horrible sound that escaped his throat. It lacked anything that spoke of the calm and composed man she knew. So raw, everything about it was unlike Ignis - The way he immediately dropped both knives with the burst of pain that tore through his entire body like electricity shooting through his veins, locking his muscles with great intensity. His sea-foam eyes fixated on Ravus's as his breathing grew heavy and face drained of colour.

  
It took a moment for Ravus to realise what he had just done as he suddenly felt all of Ignis's weight on the end of his blade when his knees grew weak. His sword becoming the only keeping him upright. Ignis's hands trembled as they grasped desperately around his front - It had to be purely instinctual- His palms would’ve been cutting into the blade, the way they tightly wrapped around it seemed almost as though he was trying to get himself off. Gods, he was only trying to help, and Ravus went and literally stabbed him right in the back…

  
The Prince of Tenebrae felt nauseous as he separated the blade from within Ignis as quickly as he could. A shocked gasp choked out from the man before Ravus swiftly hooked his fingers around the front of his couerl-printed shirt to stop him from crashing into the hard stone bricks below. He tried to ignore how his comrade’s blood spilled onto as he slowly brought the young strategist to lie down.

  
Comrade. Right. Because he definitely didn’t just impale the poor man merely seconds ago.

  
The once overwhelming patter of rain became silent as Ignis's weak yelps filled his ears like the most torturous sort of venom. His ungloved fingers clung miserably onto Ravus's real arm in a sad attempt to fight the white hot agony that coursed through him. “I’m sorry.” Was all the High Commander could bring himself to say, for he knew it wouldn’t be genuine if he said anything else.

  
Aranea didn’t care at this point whether or not Ravus had regrets for what he did to Ignis. He didn’t deserve a second chance to redeem himself after what she just saw. Whether or not he survived her wrath was no longer a concern to her as she drove her lance into his heart with a loud cry punctuating her anguish.

  
He was mostly silent, apart from the one last abrupt gulp of air before his body fell the ground with inelegance. Aranea’s lance still protruding from his corpse as she let go of the hilt in favour of running to Ignis's side. She wouldn’t dare lose him.

  
_Not like this._

  
The mercenary fell to her knees in an instant, her right hand slipping around the back of Ignis's neck to keep him upright just enough for him to see her without straining himself to much. “Specs!” She called much louder than needed. “You still with me?” She willed her eyes not to fill with tears as her grip tightened out of anger. Now was not the time to cry over something - S _omeone so stupid._

  
But Astrals have mercy on her soul. That stupid man, though she would try to deny it until the end of time - she knew that he had earned a special spot in her heart. She hated him so much for it. _Despised_ how he was so patient with her and was willing to do whatever he could to keep her from bloodying her hands.

  
And now she was going to lose him because he stupidly ran off to be a hero.

  
Aranea dreaded to look, but her gaze trailed from Ignis's face to his stomach. She felt sick just looking at how his hand clenched tightly around the wound in an aimless effort to stem the bleeding. His short nails _had_ to be splitting his skin by how his fingers were locked, but the pain was likely insignificant to having just being impaled and gushing out blood much too fast for her liking.

  
Gently, she placed her other hand atop of his, before slowly adding to the pressure. She knew it wouldn’t stop the bleeding, but maybe she could delay it and buy him some more time until help arrived. “Ah-Aranea.” He gasped, trying his hardest to keep his gaze locked on her.

  
As much as she wanted to yell at him - _Scream_ that he was an idiot for thinking it was a good idea to go alone - Aranea couldn’t bring herself to it and instead hushed him softly, “Save your strength. It’ll be alright.” She didn’t know who she was trying to comfort; Ignis, or herself?

  
Aranea wanted to ignore how his hand was trembling underneath hers but it was all she could focus on other than his strained breathing. Her grasp shifted to better hold his cold hand rather than rest on top. He deserved some sort of comfort, even if his fingers were already completely stained with tacky crimson.

  
It also didn’t escape her eyes that he was looking around her, rather than into her grass green eyes, like she fought to look at his. “Is… Is Ravus-?” His once charmingly smooth tones now hoarse and lips began to paint red with his own blood as he interrupted himself with a sharp cough.

  
“I don’t care about him!” She snapped. Was he _seriously_ concerned about the guy who just stabbed him? “Worry about yourself for once!”.

  
A low chuckle left Ignis's throat and it angered her that he was able to find humour out of this. “ _And you care about me?_ ”.

  
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t give a shit, Specs!” Aranea yelled. Tears dotted her lashes from fury and something else he couldn’t quite pinpoint.

  
Was the unbreakable dragoon showing cracks?

  
“You really are quite- a unique woman.” Ignis exhaled. Each breath getting shorter and laced with a wetness. “I’m sorry, I never got the chance to-“ More blood was coughed up, and Ignis leaned himself closer to her. His free arm latched onto Aranea’s shoulder as he tried to fight the agony consuming his voice.

  
“-Shut up! There’ll be no talk of that! You’re gonna be okay!” Aranea reached into her pocket and plucked out an potion-

  
Or at least she went to; for all she pulled out was air. Then she remembered; she used her last potion earlier while fighting against a damn couerl of all things, in her mad dash to reach him.

  
And she was still too slow.

  
“Aranea, please.” His words sent chills down her spine. It wasn’t like Specs to sound… desperate. For the first time in her life, she was scared.

  
_Scared this was it._

  
Ignis loosened his grip from her shoulder, his long fingers trailed up to stroke her cheek. “Let nothing stand in his way.” His voice barely above a whisper. “…Or in yours.” Ignis's ungloved hand gently brushed her hair away from her face as she leaned into his touch. He coughed again; weaker, but somehow still managing to still bring up blood from the back of his throat, a small drip spilling over his chapped lips.

  
She didn’t know why it felt right to do so, but ever so gently, Aranea slid her arm down between his shoulder-blades and leaned him up closer to her, being mindful not to put too much strain on his wound and to stop if he winced. He was so cold as she buried her face over his shoulder in the hopes of providing him with even the smallest amount of comfort. The only warmth emitting from Ignis was from each slow but shaky breath that drifted against her neck. When Aranea felt him shift, something soft and damp brushed tenderly against her left cheek, soon followed by Ignis's hand lowering from her soft hair, finally settling by his side for him to never lift it again.

  
She continued to hold him for what felt like seconds to her, but hours to him, until the rattling sounds from his chest eventually grew quiet. the trembling of his entire frame in her arms slowly ceasing as his head lolled into the crook of her neck. It was then, that the dragoon realised, he was gone.

  
The lithe body in her arms, was all that remained of the intelligent strategist she once knew and cared so much for.

  
And she never told him.

  
Aranea lowered him back down to rest. Unable to bring herself to look at his half open emerald green eyes one last time, she let her shaking fingers trail over his face to close his blank stare into the sky. Her heart pounded loudly against her ribs with thousands of different emotions she struggled to fight against.

  
She couldn’t hold the tears back anymore as she let out a shuddering breath, slouching forward vulnerably. Using the clean part of her wrist, she wiped away the warm sadness that dripped down her pale left cheek. But there was an odd tinge of colour that she had also rubbed away. It didn’t take her half a second to know what it was and where it came from.

  
Wet blood stained her cheek.

  
A bitter laugh that lacked all humour left Aranea’s shoulders shaking as she gently grasped the lifeless hand that rested beside him, raising his palm to press against her tear stained cheek.

  
She knew he couldn’t hear her, but spoke anyway as clearly as she could with the lump lodged in her throat. “And here I thought you were too much a gentleman to pull off something so bold.” She shook her head as she failed at taking another calming breath. “You bastard…” Her voice was no more than a mumble. Agonising tears blending with the fresh rain as she struggled to keep her head high like he would want her to.

  
Astrals damn him… _He felt the same way._

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to Orphelwe, SeleneDarkbloom and ScribeOfRhapsody for sharing their amazing versions of this with me. They're pretty awesome.  
> [Failed Parry sketch](https://www.deviantart.com/celestial-celly/art/Failed-Parry-803791214?ga_submit_new=10%3A1561892531)


End file.
